Ballast Point and Green Flash medal at European Beer Star

Locals among 23 U.S. breweries honored in German brewing competition

European Beer Star, now in its 10th year, is a German-based and German-dominated brewing competition. This year's conference, which ended Wednesday, was no exception. While medals were awarded to beers from 15 nations, Germany accounted for 56 medals or 44 percent.

Yet the Americans ran a close second, with 37 medals. Two of those belonged to San Diego breweries: Ballast Point and Green Flash.